


Devil in chains

by moosesmittens



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Drugging, Force-Feeding, M/M, Other, Potential enemies to lovers?, Public humilation, Sedation, Torture, but I don't want to force it if it's not right for the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-12-09 11:24:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20994017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moosesmittens/pseuds/moosesmittens
Summary: After Bertholdt’s defeat, Eren is captured during the battle of Shiganshina. Reiner has lost it all but now he can be the hero he always wanted to be, right? But Marley has other plans for the island devil carrying world-ending powers.Loss after loss, how much longer can Reiner lose until he realises he could gain so much more than he realises?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written in ages but I find Reiner and Eren’s relationship incredibly intriguing and wanted to explore the possibilities if Eren had been captured after Bertholdt’s defeat. And how he would experience finding out about the world without going into the Basement. I’m trying to keep things fairly ambiguous for now in terms of how much the characters know. Anyway I’m just happy to be writing again and I love this series so much! Enjoy!

When Eren wakes up he knows this is wrong.

He can hear voices, the ones he used to hear all the time as a cadet. The deep rumble of Reiner’s used to soothe him, used to feel warm. Now it sends a chill through his body. 

He’s cold. So cold. Why is the wind so cold?

His vision focuses, the sky is a deep black and he can hear something else. The sound of water, like a river but with a certain rhythm he’s never heard before. And he can smell salt. Why? Salt disappeared with the food stocks after Wall Maria fell…

Eren realises steam is billowing from his body. Something cold is fixed around his neck and pressing against his teeth.

“You’re awake.” 

Eren’s eyes dart in the direction of a orange glow nearby. Two figures slightly obscured by the campfire between them.

“See? Told you it’s better when he’s muzzled.” Reiner laughed. Laughed. The bastard. A low growl erupts from deep in Eren’s throat. How did this happen? He’s their prisoner? He can’t remember anything.

“I’d really rather we were able to speak to him properly.” Another voice muses, though Eren can’t recognise it.

“Forget it. He’s too far gone. Better the Coordinate was with someone who isn’t a wild animal.”

“That’s not really for you to decide…”

Footfalls approach him and Eren tries to twist his body to see them. A man peers down at him through round rimmed glasses. Blonde hair reaches down to the man’s shoulders. A little longer than Armin’s.

Armin. He had a plan to defeat Bertholdt… What happened after that? Where is Bertholdt?Eren only can drool uselessly around the gag in his mouth, unable to form a single word. Frustration wells up as he begins to thrash in a panic. He has no arms or legs to move! Where the hell is he? Where are his friends?

“It’s pointless. Just give him another sedative.” Reiner’s voice again. 

The older man looks tired for a moment, passing his hand over his face. He has streaks down his cheeks from a Titan transformation.

“It’s okay, Eren. We’re taking you home. Maybe we can undo whatever our father did to you.”

Eren pauses for a moment, eyes narrowing. Who the hell is this guy? 

“Zeke, the stew’s going to get cold!”

The man, who now had a name, ignores Reiner. He looks sad. 

“You poor thing. You have no idea what you even are, do you?” He murmurs. 

Eren’s eyes narrow. If this man is also a Titan-Shifter there’s no doubt it’s the man behind the Beast Titan. And he has the audacity to pity him? Whoever he was and whatever relationship Eren supposedly has to him, it didn’t matter. He is an enemy.

“I suppose not… You’re still a slave to the Royal Family’s memory alterations… Ignorant to the truth of the world. The sins of the past… I wonder whether you would fight so hard if you knew…”

Eren shook his head, glowering and growling. Shut up, old man. What the hell do you know? 

“If you don’t eat your stew, I will.” Reiner calls out again. Eren feels a prickle of unease at the familiarity in Reiner’s voice.

“Shouldn’t Eren have some too?” Zeke asks, still unable to take his eyes off him. 

“Sure, if you want him fattened up for the next person to eat him.” Reiner’s voice is so different.

“Really now…” Zeke doesn’t seem amused, turning away from Eren and leaving him with his racing thoughts. He feels sick, a cold sweat breaking out across his steaming body. He’s in no state to escape, even transforming would be impossible with two obviously well rested Titan shifters to chase and restrain him. 

Eren closes his eyes, bowing his head, a sense of hopelessness overcoming him. Damn it. Where even was he now? 

Footfalls approach him once more and his eyes snap open, uttering a low growl.

“It’s only me, calm down.” Reiner mutters, kneeling at Eren’s side with a bowl. His eyes are harder than Eren remembers. The smell of meat wafts up from the bowl, making his mouth water. Though he also remembers the last time he ate meat was only yesterday night before the battle… 

“Boss’s orders, open up. And don’t even think about biting your tongue. You’re in no state to transform.” Reiner grumbles. Eren hears a click and the gag falls from his mouth.

“You piece of shit.” Eren spits, lunging his useless torso forward and head butting the other’s nose. The world tilts as his face slams against the dirt.

“Ugh, hello to you too.” Reiner mutters, holding his nose. “Seriously, I’m not doing this again. Either you eat this stew or I force it down your damn throat.” 

“Where the hell am I? What happened to the others?” Eren twists his head to glower at the other, teeth gritted in a snarl.

Reiner sighs. “Okay, forced down your throat it is.” Eren yelps as Reiner suddenly seizes his hair and pulls him upright. He mercilessly grips his chin harshly and yanks his mouth open.

“Reiner-stop! What are you-!” A thick salty liquid floods his mouth, rich with exotic spices. It slips down his throat and dribbles down his chin as he swallows desperately to breathe again. He feels heat prickling his eyes as tears well and roll down his cheeks. 

“Reiner… you…” Eren rasps, doubling over and retching. “Why… why are you doing this?”

“I don’t have to justify myself to an island devil.” Reiner spits, the venom in his voice is barely recognisable. 

Eren hears the sound of heavy boots retreating, crunching the dirt beneath them. It’s not even Reiner. And why is he suddenly a devil? His mind feels thick and sluggish, unable to form a thought. 

Maybe he should try to transform. But then his body thuds to the ground, unable to hold it’s weight. And the darkness finally envelops him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren learns more about the world when two Marleyan soldiers are assigned to guarding him.
> 
> tw: vomiting, dehumanisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit rushed, but I really wanted to write more and I have super limited internet at the moment!
> 
> I feel like I'm writing more of a stream of consciousness style from the really unreliable and biased perspective of Eren haha
> 
> Thank you for your feedback so far! :)

_“A great expanse of water, filled with so much salt, not even the merchants could take it all!”_

_“What? No way! That’s impossible!”_

Cold water hits Eren and he wakes with a sharp exhale, tasting salt. He squints against the sudden brightness, all his senses assaulted at once. He’s on the deck of a boat, but through a porthole he sees only blue.

Water stretches out before him, seemingly infinite as it blends with the sky above. But it’s alive. It moves with swelling mountains of dark blue that made the surface beneath him rise and fall, rocking him from side to side and making his gut churn. 

_A great expanse of water… _Was this the sea? Was this what Armin had longed to see for so long?

A white bird soars in the sky above, hovering with graceful ease.

Eren’s eyes adjust to the blinding light of the sun, his shoulder aching as it presses against hardwood. He cranes his head to see chains clamped to his slowly regenerating legs. He tries to moves his arms with a grunt and finds them pinned to his back. There’s cold metal against his throat and teeth.

He’s in the middle of the ocean, chained up like some kind of vicious animal; hobbled, muzzled and collared. Not exactly how he envisioned his first journey beyond the walls. 

There’s two men in uniforms nearby. They’re talking to each other, cigarettes between their teeth, rifles slung casually over their shoulders. Eren dislikes them immediately. 

He grunts as he tries to pull himself upright. He loses his balance and crashes back to the floor, the metal now pressing into his skin. He tries to reach for his Titan powers, tries to let the transformation overcome him, everything and everyone else be damned. But any time the thought forms in his mind it falls apart... Like something's blocking it. 

He hears a bark of laughter and feels that familiar hot fury coiling in his chest. He holds onto it, letting it fuel him. 

“Looks like the island devil is finally awake.” One of the soldiers remark as they approach him. “As filthy as it’s blood.” Eren looks up, green eyes ablaze. Who are you calling filthy? Don’t look down on me. 

A polished boot presses against his head, he can smell leather at it’s weight slowly crushes him down.

“You’d love to eat us all, wouldn’t you?” The other one sneers, taking a long drag of his cigarette and blowing smoke into his victim’s eyes. Tears spring into Eren’s eyes, nausea overcoming him as he wheezes and coughs heavily. He tastes bile, feeling faint. 

Why are they talking like that? Why would he eat them?

“Didn’t you know that? The island devils eat each other. That’s what the captain said. They’re basically already Titans in human form.”

“No surprise there, Eldians are nothing but slaves to their animal instincts. What a disgusting race. Don’t know why we keep them around.” 

Eren feels his world spinning. The heel of the boot presses in deeper.

“Shd.. uh..” He spits between the gag in his mouth, swallowing the bitter taste in his throat. Whatever these men were saying, it wasn’t true. Shut up.

“What? Did you say something, dog?” 

“SHUD UH!” Eren throws his head up, making the boot slip and the soldier falls back. Eren allows himself a bitter grin as they fall right on their rear end. 

“Ugh! Someone needs to teach this beast some respect!” 

Eren gasps as his hair is seized and he’s dragged upward. A fist slams into his stomach, sending him sprawling. White light bursts in front of his eyes and his body breaks out in a sweat as his gut churns. He can’t hold it back anymore, throwing up the remains of stew that had been forced down his throat. 

“Hold it down, I want a go at it.” 

Eren feels himself grabbed once more, thrown forward before another hit against his side sends him back to the ground. Another boot hits his ribs, another slammed against his back, knocking the breath from him. 

Cowards. Scum. What right did they have to beat him like this? 

He growls and pulls himself onto his knees, letting them beat him back down. 

“Stay down, Eldian scum!”

But he refuses to go down, a show of defiance as he pulls himself back upright again. Blood rolls down between his eyes as he glowers at them. He wants to destroy them. But he can't form the thought.

“Hey!”

Reiner’s voice sounds far away, as Eren stays on shaking knees, letting his head bow down.

“What do you want, Eldian?” One of the soldiers uses that word again. What does it mean?

“You can’t do that to hi-“ Reiner grunts as one of the soldiers slams the back of his hand across his face. He staggers backwards. 

“You don’t give orders here, Eldian. Orders were alive. Nothing mentioned about teaching it some manners to it’s superiors.”

Eren can’t understand any of this. Reiner is supposed to be his captor. Black is edging back into his vision but he fights against it.

“It will be a… problem if the Founder Titan is dead on arrival. Would you like to explain that to the higher ups?” Reiner holds himself steady, steam already billowing from the mark on his face. His eyes are cold. 

The soldiers’ initial swagger falters for a beat before one of them breaks out in laughter. “No need to be so serious, Reiner! Don’t tell me you’ve gotten attached to this creature? Maybe they’ll let you keep it as a pet!”

They brush past Reiner, one patting him heartily on the shoulder like an old friend, completely contradicting the earlier violence. 

"Whatever, I need a drink!" The soldier laughs.

"You can look after it for us, can't you? Not so hard for a Warrior like you, is it?"

Then they both depart with raucous, obnoxious laughter. Eren fixes Reiner with a burning glare.

They were alone, the sound of waves crashing against the bow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tries to work out what the hell is going on... but Reiner isn't great on details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get more of a feel for Reiner's voice... I feel like he's still not very solid mentally, especially after losing Bertholdt. Maybe some of his Soldier persona tha he's created for himself is still slipping through the cracks at time.
> 
> However with Eren... Eren just keeps making life more difficult for himself. Any time I try to write him trying to keep a level head he just slips back into Fight Mode.

The sun is starting to dip lower, the ship’s progress marked by a steady rise and fall as it moves over the crest of each swell. Eren glowers at Reiner, his teeth biting into the metal of the gag in his mouth. His whole body aches from the beating, his breath coming out in short winded puffs.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Reiner mutters, averting his gaze for a moment before taking a step closer to Eren. 

Eren hisses, straining against his chains until they’re taut; the collar pressing against his throat. Reiner thinks he can just step in and act like a hero after all he’s done? Not likely!

Suddenly, the ship tips precariously to the side, a loud splash punctuating the sudden movement. Eren yelps as he goes sprawling to the ground, frigid water crashing over him. His eyes sting and he tastes salt in his mouth. He tries to coughs, shaking out his hair. Whatever the ocean is, it has about as much mercy as a Titan. 

“Here, let me just…” Reiner is suddenly close, cold hands on the back of Eren’s neck. There’s a click and the gag falls away. Eren jerks to the side, shock colouring his rage for a moment. He spits out the salty water, retching slightly at the taste.

“You managed to get beaten up without using your mouth. That’s impressive. Even for a suicidal bastard.” Reiner remarks, the nickname calling back to their cadet days. 

“If you keep talking like that I’m going to be sick.” Eren rasps, spitting blood at Reiner’s feet. 

“I guess I wasn’t expecting a thank you, but considering how important you are to the higher ups… It was worth a backhand. You don’t know it, but getting rid of you will save a lot of people.” Reiner’s boots thud heavily as he moves behind Eren. Eren watches him warily, his hackles rising. 

“Getting… rid of me?”

“Well, first we need to find the right Warrior candidate to eat you… But yeah. Sorry, I guess. But you shouldn’t have the Founding Titan.” Reiner continues in a conversational tone, as though talking about the weather.

“Eaten? By who?” Eren’s whole world shakes. And it isn’t just the movement of the ocean that keeps him on his knees.

“Huh? Didn’t you hear me? We have to find the right candidate for that… Did those soldiers beat your skull in?” Reiner remarks, crossing his arms and peering at him with something that looks like concern. 

Don’t look down on me, you piece of shit.

It doesn’t make sense. How can they find people to eat him on the other side of the ocean? Weren’t the humans in the walls the only ones left? Reiner’s the one trying to wipe them out. He should know.

“You killed so many people…” Eren manages to rasp before spitting out more water. His eyes are stinging. Fuck, everything hurts.

“And your people tortured Annie and ate Bertholdt, so I guess we’re even.” Reiner’s voice cracks ever so slightly and for a moment Eren thinks he misheard.

“We… What?”

Reiner shrugs noncommittally, keeping his gaze towards the ocean. His crossed arms are bunched tightly against his chest. 

“Never thought it’d be Armin… Always seemed like such a weakling. I guess they wanted to keep him around for his smarts.”  
  
Eren grits his teeth. “He wanted… to talk it through. He put himself in danger to talk to Bertholdt. You … you both made the choice.”

“No... I don’t hate him for it. After all, he was fried to a crisp before they injected the serum.”

_The serum. Bertholdt. Armin._

It hurt his head to think. But fragmented memories flash through his mind.

_He was taken… Ripped from the ground by the jaws of a Titan, something sharp pricking his neck. Then nothing._

Reiner’s still talking. “Hey Eren, you ever seen a zeppelin before? Of course, you haven’t. Maybe you’ll get to see one before you die.”

Eren’s head throbs, grimacing. Usually he would have healed by now. But the familiar warmth of the steam knitting together his wounds is gone. He feels so… normal.

“You’re talking a lot of shit, Reiner… Fuck… What the hell did you do to me?” He groans, rolling his shoulders and flexing his shackled wrists. Why won’t his body stop shaking?

“Hm?” Reiner looks back over to Eren as though realising he still exists. “Oh uh… You’re kind of a lab rat for a reverse engineered Titan serum. Never really understood that sorta thing but I guess it works since you haven’t turned into a Titan by now…”

That makes sense. He can’t turn into a Titan anymore. But it’s just a drug… It’ll wear off won’t it? Maybe he just needs to stay calm, lull them into a false sense of security and maybe he can get out of here alive. 

“Hey! Reiner! Get the island devil ready for presentation, we’re arriving soon.” Eren tries to raise his head, tries to see where the voice came from. 

“Stay down, Eren… Don’t make this harder for yourself than it has to be.” Reiner’s tone darkens, he’s suddenly closer than he was before.

Eren hears a low animalistic growl and realises it’s coming from him. Whatever had been pumped into his system may be stopping his Titan powers, but that doesn’t mean he’s helpless.

“Eren…” 

“If you… Touch me. I’ll tear you to pieces.” 

Reiner sighs, running his hand along his hair. “Damn it, Eren. I’m not going through this with you again.” 

Eren shakes his head, trying to balance himself on his knees. The chains clink with every movement. Reiner moves closer, warily circling him and moving towards his restraints. 

“Now Eren you need to-“

Eren roars unintelligibly, leaping forward and slamming his whole body against Reiner, pinning him down to the ground. He sinks his teeth into the man’s cheek, tasting blood. Reiner's hands are on his shoulders, trying to push him off.

He’s pinned Reiner many times before in training, but the warmth radiating from his body is frustratingly familiar. He pulls back and slams his head against Reiner’s stupid nose, hearing a crack.

“Fuck! Get it off him! Get it muzzled!” Eren yowls as his collar is seized, choking as he’s thrown off his former comrade. His body thumps heavily to the ground. Someone pulls the chain taut as a boot slams into the small of his back and something cold is pressed against his head. Eren turns his head and glowers at the blue eyed uniform holding the steel musket to his head. 

“Someone get more restraints for this thing!” 

“For fuck’s sake, why’s it’s muzzle off?” 

“Get up, Reiner! What happened here?”

The last voice he recognises as the blonde man from the night before. If it had been the night before.

“Get off me! Who the hell are you? You’re going to fucking regret-ughk!” Eren’s breath is cut off as someone yanks the chain on his collar, dragging him upwards and shaking him like a disobedient dog.

“Shut _up, _devil. You belong to Marley now. You are nothing but a vessel until your use is required.”Reiner’s voice is unrecognisable. His nose and cheek is dripping blood, but he grips Eren’s collar with a vice like grip.

“You’re slipping, Eldian. It messed you up even with its arms behind its back.” One of the soldiers sneers, laughter from the rest rising up. Eren doesn’t miss the flush of red on Reiner’s cheeks. For a moment he looks like a child being chastised in front of the whole class. 

“Hey… Reiner… From one devil to another, go fuck yourself.” He spits out, invoking more laughter before he’s thrown to the ground once more. The collar tightens viciously around his throat now. Black spots appear in his vision, his body suddenly feeling heavy.

Fingers prise open his jaw and push the metal bar back into his mouth. A loud horn blows, the sea beneath the hull of the ship becomes smooth. People bark orders and the barrel of a gun presses into the small of his back. His chains become shorter as he’s yanked to his feet and pushed forward.

They had arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren arrives in Marley and Reiner falters for just a moment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really hard chapter to write for some reason... I feel like it might help to write future chapters in Reiner's perspective as well as Eren's because Eren is such an unreliable narrator so he can be hard to write sometimes!
> 
> Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate your feedback!

A city awaits them. 

Eren’s eyes grow wide as he tries to comprehend his surroundings. It’s nothing he’s ever seen before. Even the ornate streets of Sina pale in comparison.

Everything he knows about the world is wrong. There are people living beyond the walls… Not just people, whole civilisations. He should be overjoyed, he should be relieved. Humanity isn’t going to become extinct, humanity is here and seemingly thriving. And yet, it only fills him with dread of what is to come.

“Guess you’ve never seen a proper city before, huh? Welcome to Marley.” Reiner mutters into his ear as he hauls Eren across the ship and towards the gangplank. Eren’s brows are knitted with confusion.

“Yeah, humanity is still alive outside the walls. Your king wiped your memories and fed you lies about being the last of humanity to protect you from your Eldian sins. This is reality, it’s about time you face up to it.” Reiner’s gruff words sink in slowly. Some make sense, some do not.

“There’s no need to overwhelm the boy too quickly. All that memory lost can’t be good for him. Along with the brainwashing from his father.” Zeke chides, falling in step next to him.

“He’ll live.” Reiner’s face billows steam as his body heals the wounds inflicted by Eren’s attack.

But I suppose a beating and being dragged around by a leash is fine. Eren thinks bitterly to himself, making an unintelligible grunt through the gag. He can’t trust anyone here. Reiner’s a two faced coward who’s sold him to whoever lives in this city and Zeke… He shows concern but he’s the Beast Titan who killed hundreds of Scouts. 

Eren shuffles down the gangplank, his hobbled legs slowing his progress. He sees that a crowd has gathered nearby, surrounding a cage. The people in the crowd are dressed in fancy clothes, women clutching frilled parasols and men in fine suits. 

Reiner seems to falter in his step for a moment. Eren furrows his brow as he stumbles to a halt.

“Damn it.” Reiner suddenly growls, ignoring Zeke and suddenly striding forward. The chain pulls taut and Eren yelps as he’s all but dragged behind the other man. 

Eren sees the cage and he vaguely wonders what sort of animal they were planning to keep in there. Then Reiner begins to pull him towards it. 

No.

Eren howls, digging in his heels. He throws his head back, eyes flashing. Those cold metal bars were so close. The cage itself, just tall enough to house a horse, is perched on a sturdy wooden cart.

Reiner rounds on him, jerking on the chain harshly. But his hands are shaking, his breath seems laboured as he does so. “_Eren_! Don’t do this!” Reiner’s voice cracks before he grits his teeth. “Just…_move! _Damn it!” He hauls Eren forward, making him stumble a few steps. 

“Get the demon in the goddamn cage, Eldian!” An order is snapped from a nearby soldier. Reiner’s muscles tremble, Eren throws his entire weight against the other man and it becomes a game of tug-o-war. He knows he’s outmatched, but sheer adrenaline is making him scramble against the dirt. Step by painful step he is slowly dragged towards the cage, his weakened body shaking from the effort.  
  
“Devil!”

“Demon!

“You will pay for your Eldian sins!”

The audience below seethes with insults. _Why?_ Why do they hate him so much? What sins has he committed to deserve this? He jerks his head towards his captor, as though hoping for an explanation.

_“Reiner!” _He yells through the gag. The cage looms closer, his feet hitting wood as he’s pulled up onto a platform. He whimpers, panic overwhelming him.

Reiner’s hands are still on him but, for a moment, they soften.

_“Please,_ Eren.” He murmurs low enough for only his captive to hear, his eyes downcast. Eren pauses for a beat. There’s something like desperation in Reiner’s voice. Like he’s begging Eren to comply, to stop fighting, stop resisting. To just _give up. _

Suddenly, Eren is pushed from behind. He stumbles, crashing onto the wooden floor of the cage. There’s a finite clang from behind him, the metal shuddering as the door closes.

You _bastard._

Eren throws himself against the bars, hissing and snarling as Reiner secures the lock. He doesn’t flinch, just looks at Eren for a moment. His face is flushed from the exertion. Eren slams himself against the cage one more time.

_I trusted you once. You were everyone’s big brother. You were my hero. I thought you were such a great guy. _The hurt blossoms fresh inside his chest, tears welling in his eyes once more. What’s one more betrayal amongst the many?

The ground shifts beneath him and the cage jerks forward. The crowd raises to a fervour, following as the cart trundles forward. He looks around, his heart thundering in his chest; it’s so loud he can barely hear the chants.

Eren pulls himself up on shaking knees, his hands still hopelessly bound behind his back. The wounds on his body ache as he moves past a completely alien world. A world that apparently hated him and wanted him dead.

That’s all that lay beyond the ocean.

Not freedom, but death.

The realisation was a kick in the guts, he hears a pathetic whimpering animal and realises it’s coming from him. He presses his head against the bars.

_ How was he going to get out of here? _

* * *

The sun is beginning to set in the Eldian Internment Zone. Exhausted workers trudge back to their homes, labouring all day in factories for little to no pay. Most just want to retreat back to their homes and families. Have a warm meal and then go to their beds to start it all again tomorrow.

But there’s activity beginning to stir in the centre of the Zone. 

A wooden platform is being raised in the main square of the town. Marleyan soldiers are swarming the place, preparing for some kind of spectacle. An announcement is blasted on repeat through loudspeakers.

_“A mandatory event is happening at sundown in the town square. All Eldians must attend. A roll call will be implemented to ensure attendance. Those who do not attend will be punished.”_

No one knows what the event involved or why they had to attend. Mothers drag reluctant children out to the square, the workers gather their last reserves of strength and stand on legs shaking with fatigue. As the sun starts to go down, a cart begins to approach the Internment Zone. An accompanying crowd’s chants and jeers grow louder.

“Punish the Eldian devil!”

“Make them suffer for what they’ve done!”

The stage is set. The island devil is here.

It is time to show the Eldian people what happens to those who dare to defy Marley.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reiner tries to find familiarity amongst the chaos. Eren learns what awaits him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while to piece together and get inspiration for but I hope it was worth the wait! I want to switch perspectives more often because Eren is a very unreliable narrator! Let me know what you think! :D

Reiner pushes through the crowds of Eldians, keeping his head low. He has to get back home. Seeing his mother again would help. He’s the hero she wanted him to be, he could show her how much he's done for Marley and she would be so proud of him. Maybe even his father would look him in the eyes.

The bells begin to toll, louder and louder. He used to like the bells, now his stomach drops with every clang. Fighting the stream of people, he slips into an alleyway. A familiar route he used to take back home when he was younger. When he believed in what he was doing. Before he knew what being a Warrior meant. 

It feels surreal; it feels wrong to be here again. As if he can just go back to the way things were. Marcel was eaten, Annie and Bertholdt are gone and he has the blood of thousands on his hands. He is never going to be clean again.

He stumbles to his front door and tries the handle. It’s locked. He knocks on the door, but no one answers. 

That can’t be right. His mother is always waiting for him. 

“Braun! What the hell are you doing here?”

Reiner turns sharply to see a man he hadn’t seen in at least a decade. 

“Heinz! I … I’m looking for my mother, I-!” He’s cut off as the older long-time neighbour embraces him. A warm embrace that he’s not felt in a long time. 

“Reiner… we thought you were dead… We haven’t seen her out for days. Last I heard, her illness was keeping her bedridden. No doctors will see Eldians these days. Not since the new ruling.”

“New ruling? What … what do you mean? Isn’t someone caring for her?” Reiner pulls away. He doesn't understand. His mother was always so strong.

Heinz sighed, the older man had aged a lot since Reiner had last seen him. “Ah, they put it in place after you left. All Eldian doctors were stripped of their right to practise after they found our people in Marleyan soldier ranks. Some of our doctors were forging blood tests so now we’re paying the price.”

“But surely she-“

“Hey! Quit loitering, Eldians! You want to get punished for missing roll call?” A Marleyan soldier on horseback calls out to them across the streets. 

“But, my mother… She can’t come to the door… I need to-!”

“Then she’s going to have to deal with the consequences, get _moving!” _The soldier has his hand on the baton tucked in his waist. His horse, a sleek black creature, snorts as it moves towards them. It’s shod hooves clatter on the cobblestone as its rider herds them away from the door. 

“Let’s go, Heinz…”

Reiner has no choice but to keep moving forward.

* * *

The stage is set with blaring white lights as the sun dips below the horizon and casts the sky into a blood red.

The raucous crowd that followed the cage’s procession through the streets now surround the stage. The Eldians are forced to the back, driven like cattle by police on horseback. They brandish batons and whips, despite the terrified crowd shrinking back from them. They look for a fight, an excuse to let loose.

The jeers and roars of the Marleyans flood the quiet square. The Eldian crowd is deathly still, pale and wide eyed. Nothing but dawning horror on their faces as a cage with a chained up boy is unloaded onto the stage.

Then a uniformed man walks onto the stage, a clipboard in his gloved hands. The Marleyans grin and nudge each other. The roll call begins.

* * *

“Karina Braun!” The official barks.

Eren throws himself against the cage again, the clang ringing out. 

The man tsks and clicks his fingers, two guards detach from their ranks and walk towards the cage. Eren bares his teeth at them, pressing himself against the bars. Let them try. Without his voice all he can do it fight. He can’t think, can’t hear anything but his pounding heart and the blood roaring through his ears. 

Without warning one of the guards slams an iron bar against the cage, the metal shuddering. A sharp pain spikes through Eren’s skull; he staggers backwards. He falls to his knees as nausea rises in his stomach. 

“Gabi Braun!”

“Present!”

The roll call continues, every sound throbbing through Eren’s body. He envisions transforming, ripping this place apart, tearing the official apart, smashing every ornate building and crushing this miserable place under Titan feet. Visceral carnage floods his thoughts. But he can’t transform. It’s as though the spark to light the match has been snuffed out. He closes his eyes and tries again.

“Those who are absent or did not respond to their name will be punished individually. Now. We begin the main event.”

Eren’s eyes snap open. The crowd begins to stir, feverish chatter and excitement welling back up from the people in front. A man in noble dress, steps onto the stage, flourishing his hands as though conducting an orchestra.

Even the silent crowd at the back reacts, his arrival prompting sudden enthusiastic applause from everyone gathered. The man seems to bask in it for a moment, the spotlights bathing him in an ethereal glow. 

“Tonight, we have been given the opportunity of which we have only dreamed. The devils of Paradis island have lived in disgraceful ignorance for too long. They have not rightfully suffered for the sins of their past. Their blood is stained and the world will not be safe until every devil on the island is exterminated.”

Eren blinks, unable to believe what he just heard. 

Exterminated? Are they serious? 

He feels that familiar burn of rage, lets it consume him. Lets it burn away the fear. He trembles with it. 

How dare they? Humanity was suffering inside the walls. They had suffered enough. 

He grinds his teeth against the muzzle, a low rumble erupting from his chest.

The man continues, ignoring him. “But the vermin is clever! Like the rat, it knows how to hide. Behind walls made of Titans, it cowered. But no longer. Today we have trapped not only a rat, but the traitorous creature who stole the Founding Titan!”

The reality of the situation falls on Eren, disbelief and fury mingling into a tangle of madness.

“And so, my friends! We are here today to witness its rightful punishment! It’s deserved retribution before the right Warrior candidate is chosen to eat this sinful body and inherit both the Founding and Attack Titans!”

Punishment. Eren staggers to his shackled feet. They had regenerated just enough to take his full weight. The rest of his body is unable to heal. Black clad men are approaching the cage. A lot of men to take on someone with their arms behind their back, Eren thinks with a vague twinge of satisfaction.

“With the power of the Founder, we will eradicate the island devils!”

The cage swings open and he’s ready for them. He lunges forward, attempting to throw his body against them. But they’re ready for him. One seizes the chain on his collar, pulling it sharply upwards before driving a boot into his stomach. Eren doubles over, winded. They fall onto him, landing heavy kicks against his curled up body. He thrashes in a furious panic as they seize his arms, his hair, his neck. He could only thrash in their grip, howling through the muzzle strapped to his mouth. 

“See for yourself! The feral devil is not even a boy but a Titan in human form. We must cleanse the beast of its power before we can begin!”

They have him pinned down, the weight of their bodies on top of him forces the breath from his lungs. Something sharp pricks the back of his neck, making him jolt reflexively. 

“Keep it still!”

Hands tighten on his throat, his back, his face. Fingers dig into him and it _hurts_. His body is flooded by cold. Something is being pumped into his spinal cord, making him suddenly limp. For a moment he can’t see, his body is being dragged against wood. He feels the tattered Scout uniform torn from his back. 

When his vision returns, the glaze of white light is blinding and he ducks his head away from it. He hears laughing and jeering. He’s forced to his knees, his arms manipulated and stretched to either side, there’s a clink of metal as his wrists are attached to heavy wooden stakes. 

His shoulders already ache from the stretch as he kneels before the throng of people. People are booing and spitting. 

They hate him. Why do they hate him so much?

Eren is on his knees. His chest and back are exposed, his arms chained and the collar on his neck attached to a thick metal bracket on the floor. He hisses, jerking his restraints in a show of defiance. It earns him more jeers from the crowd, more insults hurled at him. 

He hears footsteps from behind him and his attempt to whirl around to see the man is swiftly aborted by the chains. The crowd laughs. A shadow falls over him. 

“Now then, devil. Let’s see just how dirty your blood is.” 


End file.
